A combination of incongruous things, A miscellaneous anthology or collection,
A mixture of dried flower petals and spices used to scent the air,
You'll get it all here, but it isn't gonna smell pretty

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Snack Wars

It's summertime...aaaahhh....when we are rarely home. It's fun, it's liberating, it's exhausting, but we wouldn't change it for anything.

One place we frequent daily, sometimes two or three times in the day is the community pool where we are members. The kiddies do their lessons in the morning, as well as "Junior Junior Swim Team" (which is just way too frickin' cute for words) and the Mommies do their Aquasize while the kids sit on the side and laugh at us, or go to the park with the pool appointment Leaders in Training. We then often go back for free swim in the afternoon, and sometimes evening.

But in between, it's all about the snacks. The Snacks.

While we are all congregated poolside between activities and dips in the pool, everyone has their snacks. It's war. It's an unwritten, non-verbalized war, but the 'looks' and the competition is there.

WHO brings the healthiest snacks? The heartiest? Some are even equipped with what looks like a full meal with all food groups being represented from rolled up ham, cheese, tomatoes and yogurt. Don't forget the pita and hummus, all homemade of course.

W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R.

I always try to bring a fruit. Perhaps a muffin, some fishie crackers, bagel...pretty much whatever is ready and can be packaged up quickly in our daily rush-cause-we're-late-again out the door. But, there are days when I'll grab some Spiderman jujubes, raisins, Nutrigrain bar, all processed sugar stacked items. How the hell to 'they' know that my kids didn't eat a bowl of multi-grain oatmeal full of fresh blueberries and bananas for breakfast? Who cares?

I even buy them a freezie sometimes at the canteen. Oh. MY. GAWD!!! Shaddup already, it's coloured water with sugar and it's frozen. It's not poisonous.

Am I just as guilty? Of course - when I see little ones running around eating nothing but honey combs and potato chips at 10:30 AM, I may cringe a little. I confess. However, I don't really care, cause it isn't my kids. How do I know that kid didn't eat a wheat germ laden fruit salad on her way to the pool? I don't. So, I don't judge. Well, I try not to.

Why is it so bloody competitive out there, to out do all the other moms? It's war, it's Snack Wars!!

I will admit that at home we don't always have the healthiest snacks, but when I put together something for the waterpark or a museum it usually involves fruit, cheese, ham and crackers. Nothing as fun for going out as we have here at home. You would die of shock if I listed the snack foods that were purchased on our vacation at the grocery store (all by the boys, I might add, mine were all healthy).

Ah, summer at the pool. That's how I remember my childhood summers. We'd take peaches a lot — big, juicy peaches that would soak your chin with their sticky syrup. We'd pack a lunch, too — for me, it was always a sandwich with that pressed pink turkey sandwich meat and a bag of Charles Chips.

Funny, Beloved has recently introduced the boys to those Bear Paws and they all love them!

This week, the boys are in day camp for the first time, and packing their daily snack I was actually a bit relieved. I found packing a snack for school very stressful, worried I would be judged as "that mother" after seeing the four-course meals you describe that some kids bring. Snack to me means SNACK, that is, a little something to keep you from starving. Hell, lunch on half the days isn't as extravagant as some of the snacks the kids in Tristan's class brought! At least with day camp I didn't care if they think I'm a bad mother for sending Ritz cracker sandwiches and pretzels. Lord help me when I start having to pack an actual lunch next year.

Anyway, my favourite memories of summertime include plain chips and lemonade from the carton at the beach, and my mother has already indoctrinated the boys.

Beautiful pool! You have diving boards, too. I haven’t seen a diving board at a public pool in, well, over 20 years. You see the government and the insurance companies know more about raising our kids than we do, so they aren’t allowed. And the snacks!!??! I would bring the kids BLT sandwiches with extra bacon and a half jar of mayonnaise on each sandwich (with a can of Red Bull to drink.) They need the energy to do the great dives and belly flops off the cool diving boards.

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About Me

Happily married SAHM to six year-old twin boys, Gramps (my dad) lives next door who has two grandsons who idolize him...yadda yadda yadda...I am a cyncial, sarcastic, opinionated, outspoken loudmouth (potty mouth too) who is in love with being a Mommy (on most days) but has something to say about everything. I can't say I like to 'argue' but I enjoy a good heated discussion with opposing views, so lemme have it.